University of Notre Dame anti-poverty researchers to address CCUSA Annual Gathering

General

August 1, 2014

Alexandria, Virginia (August 1, 2014) – Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) has announced it will welcome two nationally-recognized professors of economics who helped create a domestic anti-poverty research initiative to address its annual gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, this October.

Professors William Evans, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Economics, and James Sullivan, Rev. Thomas J. McDonagh, C.S.C. Associate Professor of Economics, are principal researchers and co-directors at the Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), an innovative research center at Notre Dame created in partnership with CCUSA.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Professors Evans and Sullivan,” said Fr. Larry Snyder, president of CCUSA, “and I have been continually impressed by their commitment to use the power of rigorous academic research to improve the lives of those in need. We are very excited to showcase our continued work together in October.”

The researchers at LEO have undertaken a number of research projects with the Catholic Charities network, working hand-in-hand with agencies across the country to design and implement research evaluations of new and existing anti-poverty programs. Supporting research projects at LEO is part of CCUSA’s ongoing commitment to developing results-driven anti-poverty solutions.

“Working with Catholic Charities has been the highlight of my academic career,” said Sullivan. “I am excited to share results from our ongoing work with local agencies and build even stronger relationships across the network.”

Evans, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and Sullivan, a research affiliate of the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, will present on Monday, October 6. Their speech will focus on the importance of evaluation in the social services sector, and share highlights of their work to date.

“Our partnership with local Catholic Charities agencies has been crucial in building the first domestic anti-poverty lab of its kind,” said Evans. “This partnership will make an enormous difference in the fight against poverty in America.”

The CCUSA Annual Gathering is the preeminent national event offering Catholic Charities leaders, staff, volunteers, and partners to strategize about reducing poverty in America and celebrate a common purpose and shared identity. Additional information about the Annual Gathering can be found at http://2014AnnualGathering.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org.